After starting the season with three losses to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on Feb. 13-15, Indiana baseball returned home Tuesday afternoon looking to bounce back for its first win.
The Hoosiers found that success early in their 15-3 win over Bradley University at Bart Kaufman Field in Bloomington. Sophomore catcher Hogan Denny led the offensive spark early, tallying the first four Hoosier runs off two home runs, with a dominant fourth inning putting the game out of reach.
“Tonight, we wanted to play fast, be aggressive offensively and take care of the ball defensively,” Indiana head coach Jeff Mercer said postgame. “The young guys got in, executed and helped us get the win. That’s what this team is capable of.”
An infield error off a groundball by Bradley graduate pitcher Joey Cirelli in the Hoosiers’ first at bat during the bottom of the first inning allowed sophomore third baseman Will Moore to reach first base safely. It was the kind of mistake Indiana rarely saw North Carolina make in its opening weekend, and the Hoosiers didn’t hesitate to take advantage.
Denny stepped in after Moore and crushed the pitch 427 feet to left field, giving Indiana a 2-0 lead with a no-doubt home run — the Hoosiers’ first of the season.
In similar fashion, Moore beat out an infield hit in the third inning, and Denny followed it up by clearing the left field wall by 100 feet.
Denny’s second home run in just his second at bat extended the lead to 4-1 after a two-out double from Bradley in the inning prior cut the lead to one.
Indiana’s big moment came in the fourth inning, when the Hoosiers scored eight runs on six hits. The inning featured four walks, timely singles, a double and a stolen base, with the lineup working the counts and taking advantage of every opportunity to push the lead out of reach to a 12-2 advantage entering the fifth inning.
Indiana capped the game with three more runs while holding Bradley to one, sealing a 15-3 win.
The offensive eruption highlighted the young hitters Mercer has built his lineup around, with eight of Indiana’s nine starting batters being underclassman.
All 14 hits and 15 RBIs came from underclassmen. Four sophomores and two freshmen recorded a multi-hit game.
Indiana’s pitching staff complemented the offensive effort, rolling out six pitchers over seven innings while allowing just three runs. Graduate student right-hander Reagan Rivera started, working around early baserunners in the first inning.
Freshman Ivan Mastalski and graduate student Conner Linn combined for scoreless work in the middle innings. Redshirt senior Pete Haas, freshman Kellen English and sophomore Ian White Jr. finished strong in relief, limiting damage and providing depth out of the bullpen.
Mercer and the Hoosiers will look to carry their success to Jacksonville, Florida, for the Live Like Lou Jacksonville Baseball Classic.
The Hoosiers open the tournament at 2 p.m. Friday against defending national champions No. 2 Louisiana State University. The University of Central Florida and the University of Notre Dame are also on the docket, giving Indiana another opportunity to test its young lineup and pitching depth against top-tier opponents.
Follow reporters Elakai Anela (@elakai_anela and eanela@iu.edu) and Will Kwiatkowski (@WKwiatkowski_15 and wdkwiatk@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana baseball season.
